Nationalist Congress Party (SCP) leader Sharad Pawar on Tuesday reiterated that the focus of the INDIA alliance remains on national elections, with no talks about state or local elections. The statement comes days after Shiv Sena (UBT) announced its decision to fight the Mumbai municipal elections alone.
In a statement that stirred political ripples across Maharashtra, Pawar told reporters during a press conference: “There has never been any discussion on state and local elections in the INDIA alliance. INDIA alliance is only focused on national-level elections.”
“There has never been any discussion on state and local elections in the INDIA alliance. INDIA alliance is only focused on national-level elections,” Pawar told reporters during a press conference.
His remarks come as political tensions escalate in Maharashtra ahead of the upcoming municipal elections. Pawar revealed that the NCP and its allies will hold discussions in the next 8-10 days to determine whether to contest the elections jointly or separately.
“In the upcoming municipal elections in Maharashtra, everyone will decide by holding a meeting in 8-10 days whether we will fight together or alone,” said Pawar, leaving the door open for possible collaboration.
Shiv Sena’s bold move: Going solo in municipal elections
The timing of Pawar’s comments coincided with a dramatic announcement from Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut, who declared that his party would contest the municipal elections in Mumbai and Nagpur independently.
“We will fight Mumbai and Nagpur Municipal Corporation on our own, whatever happens will happen. We have to see for ourselves,” Raut asserted, confirming that party chief Uddhav Thackeray had given the green light for the solo venture. Raut further explained that this move was aimed at strengthening the party at the local level, providing opportunities for workers to contest elections in cities where they might not have the chance in general and assembly elections.
Raut’s comments also highlighted internal tensions within the INDIA alliance, with Shiv Sena (UBT) previously calling on the Congress to take the lead in convening the next alliance meeting, something that has yet to take place since the 2024 elections.
Pawar signals support for Kejriwal ahead of Delhi elections
Amid growing challenges within the alliance, Sharad Pawar voiced his support for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ahead of the crucial Delhi assembly elections, scheduled for February 5.
“My feeling is that we should help Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi assembly elections,” Pawar remarked, signaling potential collaboration with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the capital. The elections will see a single-phase voting on February 5, with the results to be declared on February 8.
The Maharashtra battlefield: BJP‘s scathing attack on Pawar and Thackeray
The ongoing political drama in Maharashtra reached a new high over the weekend when Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a sharp attack on Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray. Shah accused the two leaders of practicing “back-stabbing” politics, alleging that Pawar’s “daga-phatka” tactics have been at play since 1978.
In his address at the BJP’s state convention in Shirdi, Shah praised the decisive victory of the ‘Mahayuti’ alliance in Maharashtra, claiming that the people of the state had ended the politics of betrayal. He also endorsed Eknath Shinde’s faction as the “real Shiv Sena” and Ajit Pawar’s camp as the “real NCP.”
“The people of Maharashtra have done the job of keeping Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray, who started the politics of deception and betrayal, at home,” Shah declared, stirring further tensions in the already heated political atmosphere.
Looking ahead: A divided landscape
As the stage is set for municipal and assembly elections across multiple states, political equations in Maharashtra and Delhi are under intense scrutiny. While the INDIA alliance grapples with internal disputes, the actions of Shiv Sena and NCP leaders will have significant implications on the upcoming electoral battles, with alliances and rivalries taking center stage.
With the municipal elections in Maharashtra just around the corner, and Delhi gearing up for the assembly polls, the decisions made in the coming days will reshape the political landscape in both states and beyond.